The Road Not Taken
by Charlene Edwards
Summary: Dick finds himself in a different world -- what's going on?


Title: The Road Not Taken  
  
Author: Charlene Edwards  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: They belong to DC -- who should NOT do the things they do to them. HEHEHE -- but I'm one to talk. LOL  
  
Synopsis: Dreamverse -- but who's???? This is part 4 of a Dreamverse I started and Tammy joined in on. Part one is my Heart and Home, part 2 is Tammy's The Other Life and part 3 is Tammy's Twilight into Darkness. GO READ THEM!!! LOL!!!  
  
Unbeta'd -- all mistakes are mine. Hope you all enjoy. Char :-)  
  
  
  
The Road Not Taken:  
  
  
  
Dick stood at the window looking down at the back yard of Wayne Manor. He saw himself as a small child of eight or nine playing ball with Bruce. Bruce was his dad. Not his natural dad, not his first one, but he was Dad. Dick couldn't help but smile as he thought of Bruce. They had been so close back then. As he had grown, they had grown apart. That space between then always caused Dick's heart to ache. Yet, through it all, he always knew he could count on his father. Whenever he needed him, Bruce Wayne would always be there for Dick.  
  
"I know what's got you so deep in thought. Of course, if I were you I wouldn't be looking out that window, I'd be jumping out it."  
  
Dick turned with a grin on his face as he looked at the young man in the black tuxedo standing in the door. "Jay, you're a freak, but you're my freak. Come 'ere." Dick walked over as his younger brother entered the room. They embraced in a tight hug.  
  
"Dude, are you sure you wanna go through with this. It ain't too late. We could boost the jag and head out for LA. Mom and Dad would be calmed down in a month or two."  
  
Dick laughed heartily as he shook his head. "You are such a delinquent."  
  
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Jason replied as he plopped down on Dick's bed. "Mom said you and Babs were gonna live here with the rest of us after the wedding."  
  
"That's what she and Babs have talked about. Babs and I aren't too sure," Dick said with a laugh. Then he sighed. "I dunno. I dunno what I want to do bro. Mom's right, I mean, this house IS big enough that we could have our own wing and never even run into anyone. Although you know this family, we'd be running into everyone all the time. We could get an apartment near school. We can certainly afford it, Dad's already said he'd buy us an apartment building. That would be convenient, but so would having the built in baby-sitters that we'd have here." Dick ran his hand through his jet black hair as he looked at his brother. "I have NO clue what to do."  
  
Jason quickly ran his tongue across his lips before he spoke. "Dick, don't you think you and Barbara should have decide where you were going to live after the marriage BEFORE the marriage. You are getting married in less than an hour."  
  
Dick moved back to the widow and stared out at the yard. Memories of his family filling his mind. Bruce opened the door and silently entered the room as Dick continued to speak. "Jay, part of me wants to, no NEEDS to be on my own, but there's another part of me that wants to stay by Dad's side."  
  
Bruce placed a hand on Jason's shoulder and motioned for the younger boy to leave the room. Then, Bruce walked to his oldest son and placed a comforting hand on the young man's shoulder.  
  
Dick turned to face his father, their blue eyes meeting. He tried to smile, but found it hard. "You heard?"  
  
"Don't I always?"  
  
Dick chuckled softly, "Yeah, you should've been a detective."  
  
"With you kids, no detective skills are necessary," Bruce replied as he turned and watched the caterers setting up for the reception. Thankfully the sun was shining so the outdoor reception would come off without a hitch. Selina had to be blessed to pull that off. Then he sighed deeply and looked back at his son. "I can't believe it. It's Over!"  
  
Dick's eyes were wide with fear, "O-over? What's over?"  
  
Bruce had a sad smile on his face, "You're not my little boy anymore. You're an adult."  
  
Dick smiled as he rolled his eyes, "Dad! I'm twenty-four. I've been an adult for a while now."  
  
Bruce placed his arm around Dick's shoulder as they turned from the window. "No, you just thought you were. Now you're going to be a parent. That's different."  
  
They stopped as they heard the two youngest Wayne children giggling mercilessly at the door. Dick shook his head, Cassandra just didn't look right in pink. Then his eyes focused on his youngest brother, "What's so funny Timmy?"  
  
"No offense man. I thought when he came up here he was gonna really nail you. I don't know how you escaped. But Mom is now looking you two --"  
  
Selina opened the door wider. "Mom is now here." Turning to her youngest she gently pushed them toward the hall. "Go on downstairs." She looked at her oldest child who was soon to be a married man and smiled lovingly. "Come on, it's time to go."  
  
Nightwing jumped as he heard the soft voice repeating, "Come on, it's time to go." He looked up with a tear stained face into the face of Catwoman as the soft first rain of spring started to fall on him. Leaning back, he rested once more against the cool marble at his back. His hands rubbing the soft grass he sat in. As she entreated him to go, he silently sat in the rain. He needed the rain to wash over him and cleanse him of his sins and return his life to the way it had been in his youth.  
  
Catwoman sat beside him in the grass. She turned toward him and the tombstone he sat against. One hand fell on Nightwing's arm while the other rubbed across the letters spelling out "JASON TODD WAYNE". They could have -- should have -- been her sons. If her problems with the Falcones and Bruce's problems with Batman hadn't interfered. That was the life they could have had, the road not taken.  
  
Taking Nightwing by the chin, she turned him to face him. She read the aching pain in his blue eyes. They matched what she knew her own eyes felt.  
  
With slender arms, she pulled him onto her shoulder as he broke out in sobs. Her own tears fell. "Shh, little one, shh. We'll help him. We'll help Bruce save himself. He's stronger than anyone realizes. He won't let Batman make a fugitive of him for long."  
  
"You ... you've seen him?" Nightwing asked, finally finding his voice.  
  
"I saw Batman. You and I will have to look for Bruce."  
  
"He said --"  
  
"He's stubborn. Bruce has never given up on either of us. We won't let him give up on himself, regardless of what he thinks he wants," she said with a comforting voice.  
  
Nightwing needed that comfort. Since Batman had said "It's Over" he had felt like he was an orphan again. Now, he had hope. His heart still ached, but he had hope as they sat together on the grass in the soft spring rain. The dreams were over, but the hope they spawned remained.  
  
  
  
THE END .... 


End file.
